Dixie Force tops Relay for Life fundraising
Members of the Dixie Force Darlington team received a plaque and certificate recognizing their outstanding fundraising efforts to benefit Relay for Life of Darlington. Photo by Samantha Lyles
By Samantha Lyles, Staff Writer, slyles@newsandpress.net
Dixie Force Darlington, the community outreach team from Georgia Pacific / Darlington Dixie Cup, was recognized last week for their top fundraising efforts on behalf of Relay for Life. Members of the Dixie Force team received a plaque and certificate commemorating their county-leading contribution of $20,555 to the American Cancer Society event.
“The Dixie Force team did an awesome, awesome job raising over $20,000 and we are so thankful,” said Chinel Boateng, senior community development manager for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life (covering Darlington, Florence, and Marion Counties). “When you have individual employees who are making donations like this, it really means a lot to us.”
“We want to thank all of our employees for their contributions. We asked for donations and people really stepped up to help,” says Ashley Black, coordinator for Dixie Force Darlington.
This year, Relay for Life of Darlington raised $66,538 of their $89,000 goal. Corporate sponsors included Sonoco, Hartsville YMCA, Darlington Police Department, Raceway Ford, Stingray Boats, and iHeart Media.
“The Darlington Police Department was our Rookie Team of the Year, raising $2,123 for ground-breaking cancer research. In all, we had 31 teams and 196 registered participants. Relay for Life helps people get well, stay well, and lead in the fight against cancer,” says Boateng, noting that contributions help fund the American Cancer Society’s educational programs, patient and family services, and scientific research.
She adds that more help is needed to keep the event going, and both financial donations and volunteers are welcome.
“Relay for Life is a volunteer driven and staff supported event, so we’re always looking for volunteers who actually put the event on…and there are many roles to play, because it takes a lot of people to make this event happen,” says Boateng. “We can basically put anybody to work. There are no special skills required, just a servant’s heart.”
Anyone interested in volunteering for the spring 2018 Relay for Life event can contact chinel.boateng@cancer.org. To learn more about the event, visit www.relay.acsevents.org.